Bookmakers’ odds have been a fairly accurate barometer for semifinal qualifiers in past contents. In the 2021 contest, aggregated odds on the days of the semifinals predicted nine out of ten qualifiers.
There are always one or two unexpected results, though. And that’s just as well, as we love to keep things exciting around here. Looking down the list of bookies’ hopefuls for the first semifinal of 2022 this evening, it’s time to ask: which countries will provide the first surprises of 2022?
The standing for qualification on the day of semifinal 1, as aggregated by OddsChecker, are as follows:
- Ukraine
- Greece
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Armenia
- Portugal
- Moldova
- Albania
- Latvia
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Lithuania
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Slovenia
- Bulgaria
Ukraine, Greece, Norway and Netherlands are on incredibly short odds, looking like dead certs; a winning bet will yield just 1-3% profit with most bookmakers.
Further down the table, Switzerland was pipping Austria for the coveted tenth position yesterday, the latter just edging forward into qualifying position in the last 24 hours. Punters plumping for either of them will more or less double their money on a successful outcome.
What are your predictions for tonight’s outcome? What have the bookies got wrong? Let us know in the comments!
